SW&S Signs Maintenance Contract with Ryder

August 26, 2014

Ryder System, Inc. announced that it has been awarded a managed maintenance contract by Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc., the nation's leading wine and spirits distributor. Under the contract, Ryder will provide a combination of Comprehensive Maintenance and Preventive Maintenance services for Southern’s heavy duty fleet of 2,200 tractors, trucks and trailers, which supports the company’s various locations across the U.S. Ryder’s Comprehensive Maintenance solution gives customers access to its nation-wide network of service locations and highly trained technicians for better fleet reliability and predictable costs.

The solution will provide Southern with regular inspections, rapid follow-up repairs, proactive parts replacement, emergency roadside assistance and online reports to track maintenance activity and history. The solution offers 24/7 access to Ryder’s state of the art maintenance network, professional services of more than 5,000 skilled certified technicians and more than 700 service facilities across the U.S. Ryder’s Preventive Maintenance solution provides regularly scheduled maintenance when and where Southern may need it.

“Ryder’s expertise goes beyond just keeping our trucks up and running,” says Larry Sullivan, vice president, fleet, safety & compliance for Southern Wine & Spirits. “Ryder is helping us understand our maintenance costs, what assets we should keep, and whether or not we are selecting the optimal equipment for our needs. The data and reporting Ryder provides is helping us make better decisions about our business. We don’t need a provider to just fix our trucks. We need a partner to help us better manage our fleet. That’s Ryder.”

“We are in the distribution business, so our customers count on us to make their deliveries on-time,” says Bobby Burg, senior vice president, chief supply chain officer of Southern Wine & Spirits. “A reliable fleet isn’t just nice-to-have; it is a point of differentiation that enables us to maintain our industry-leading reputation for customer service.”